Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Book Reviews
Book Review: Madhouse
By Sandy Amazeen
Feb 25, 2008, 21:32 GMT

Half-human half Auphe Cal Leandros and Niko, his human brother have decided end their days of running and set up a specialized detective agency in the midst of New York City. The Big Apple attracts plenty of supernatural creatures like the usual vampires and werewolves plus a considerable number of rarer entities like pucks, boggles, peri and lamias so the brother’s business, while not exactly brisk is typically quite dangerous. When called to check out a destroyed display case at the Metropolitan Museum, Cal and Niko are forced to conclude Sawney Beane, the medieval Scottish mass murderer responsible for killing over 600 people, had somehow brought himself back from his ashes. Sawney was no ordinary psychopath, as a Redcap he was capable of murder on a grand scale while creating an army of revenants with an appetite for human flesh. This evil is so nasty even the werewolves won’t come out to play and it is up to Niko, his vampire girlfriend Promise, Cal and Robin Goodfellow, a worldly-wise puck to face down a foe capable of skinning boggles. Cal has plenty to think about just trying to stay alive, much less try to cope with his demon half, learn how to control the pain of making gateways and maybe get laid somewhere along the line.

Third in the series that began with Nightlife, Thurman serves up another action packed tale of mayhem and bad genes that will keep readers riveted. The considerable blood and gore are balanced by Cal’s attempts to come to terms with himself and do what is best for Georgia, a psychic young woman he is attracted to. The conclusion leaves just enough wiggle room to make one wonder how Goodfellow will figure in future and sets the stage for the next title in this thrilling paranormal series.